Tried and tested: Holy Lama Massage and Hair Products

When the bright red box of Holy Lama goodies arrived in the office, it honestly felt as if Christmas had come early. Parcelled in natural straw packages, tied with ribbon, were thoughtfully compiled travel-sized, body-specific gift sets, emitting a heady organic scent. Fellow Copywriter Micaela and I split the stash to test out whether these natural, handmade cosmetics made the grade...

The products

Based in Kerala in Southern India, Holy Lama are an up and coming family run, international business breaking into the essential oils market. Their whole ethos oozes originality and skincare as nature intended, their products overflowing with plant and mineral sources as well as being free from artificial chemicals or synthetic perfumes.

Following tradition, they also base their products on Ayurvedic principles (a naturalistic approach that focuses on balancing your body’s humours), while providing effective high quality ingredients that are still mild enough for those of us with sensitive skin. Hand-packed in small batches, the presentation of the products is gorgeous and would be ideal as a present.

The treatment

After dividing the products, I was left with the Massage Boon set (£10), Hair Boon set (£10), and a Body Cream (£13.50). The Massage Boon parcel contained four little bottles of oil – Bliss, Everfresh, Relaxation and Enhance – that could be used for massage, or every day use if you prefer. I tried the zingy Everfresh oil, bursting with orange and patchouli oil, although not overpowering enough to smother the senses. The Hair Boon would have been ideal to pack for a weekend away, complete with small bottles of coconut based herbal shampoo, conditioner and hair oil, as well as a pungent Yogi soap. The body cream, made with natural ingredients, claimed to be suitable for all skin types.

The results

There are no overwhelming, sickly sweet floral scents, as Holy Lama’s products adopt a crisper, newly cut grass feel to them. The massage oils have a lovely texture – not overly slimy but there’s no need to constantly re-apply because you’ve dried out. The lasting oils naturally make your skin feel softer as well as slightly scented. The body cream is incredibly thick for a moisturiser with a nourishing feel, and its gentle scent is the ideal reminder of summer although again, not too strong. Considering its texture, it absorbs really well into the skin, not leaving you standing and rubbing your tacky limbs for hours on end.

A word of warning about the shampoo and conditioner – beneath the deceptively easy screw cap lid is a tiny stopper, and I strongly advise you take this out pre-shower. Struggling with tweezers whilst soaking wet is not the easiest of tasks! Once I managed to get into the shampoo, the organic and vaguely nutty smell hit me, as it lathered up with masses of foam. After literally making my hair squeak with cleanliness, I tackled the conditioner, which was unusually thick and more the consistency of a body cream. As it was quite heavy, I avoided the hair oil as I didn’t want to end up with a greasy-haired look.

The handcrafted Yogi soap certainly packs a fragrance-filled punch, as the poignant soap smells like it will blast every ounce of dirt that has ever dared to encounter your skin. You can sniff the soap on your skin all day, which I wasn’t sure if I liked because of the intense earthy notes, but I did like the handmade areca palm tree leaf the soap came in.

Being a rather nosy and curious person means that I am always intrigued by new treatments, products and places, and I always enjoy trying out new things. As a Copywriter here at Wahanda, I've definitely picked up a few things about the massive variety of beauty and wellness treatments available, but with such a vast array of choice, there is always more to sample and learn about!